Hey guys. I have a beach cruiser style bicycle. I do not want the coaster brakes on it for several reasons, one in particular is because I usually ride it DOWNHILL for long long long periods of time, and a coaster brake burns up, and repacking it with grease is a pain in the butt.
I would like to replace the rear wheel so that it has a Non-Coaster Brake hub but is also not fixed gear. A single speed is all I need. I know, it sounds weird, but it's what I need.
You are probably going to need a "custom" wheel ...
Either YOU or someone you know can relace the current rim on a TRACK hub (or, equivalent -- most other types of rear hubs will be too wide for the frame) ... FORMULA makes high flange rear hubs ... almost any BMX rear hub can be used, too, but they are mostly 36h (which I suppose is probably what your coaster brake hub probably is) ... BMX hubs are generally low flange ... a BMX rear hubs probably start at around $20, and go up from there ... the Track hubs start at about 2x that amount.
I think a coaster brake hub is equivalent to a high flange hub, BTW
it will be easier to relace the rim onto a hub whose flange "height" is the same
Add an appropriate BMX Freewheel (they are available for 1/8" & 3/32" chains ... the narrower can be used with either size chain) whose tooth count matches what you want ...
I recommend ACS CLAW Freewheels.
Shimano makes BMX Freewheels, too
there are other brands, but ...
I presume your bike has a front brake caliper, already ...
You can add a rear brake caliper to supplement the front brake if you want..
Yea, I have already removed the coaster brake pads from inside the coaster hub, so it works kind of like a Free Wheel. However, there is some slack when pedaling forward. I have reduced the slack by basically adding washers to the inside of the hub which act as a "stop" for the "screw" that is causing the slack when I coast for long periods of time. However, the washers are not enough to completely remove the slack, and adding another washer makes it too tight, creating what is basically a "Fixie".
So, yea, what I am looking to do now is take the entire rear wheel off, get a replacement wheel with a Freewheel hub, and go from there.
